Ramaphosa should consider pardoning Zuma: Malema

This comes after the Constitutional Court on Thursday refused to grant the Department of Correctional leave to appeal an earlier ruling on Zuma’s release on medical parole.

The department wanted to appeal a ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeal which declared Zuma's release by former Correctional Services boss Arthur Fraser as illegal.  

The former president was handed a 15-month jail term in June 2021 for contempt of court. 

Speaking on Friday, Malema said he will approach Ramaphosa once the department has made a decision on whether to send Zuma back to jail or not.  

Malema said violence, similar to the July 2021 unrest sparked by Zuma's jailing, should be avoided at all costs. 

“A presidential pardon is proper. We must try and mitigate a situation where we avoid violence. We saw 350 to 400 Africans die in July. We do not want a repeat of that, we don’t and if the president can intervene in the best interest of the country, that’s good because he is not using the presidential pardon for personal use, it is for the cause. Zuma served, he was released, and we should respect that." 

Meanwhile, the ANC in KZN said it will take all necessary measures to ensure peace and stability in the wake of the ruling. 

“We believe that the 2021July unrest has lessons of equal significance for all arms of the state, the ANC, opposition political parties, the private sector, the media and society at large. About R50 billion was wiped out of the South African economy as a result of the July 2021 unrest. It is for these reasons we have taken a decision to consult widely to ensure that as we move forward, there is peace and stability," the party said. 

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